


Interview Transcripts - [Insert Community Name Here]'s Official History

by TottWriter



Series: Triffids AU [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: After The Apocalypse fic, I give up denying it, Major Character Disability, Rated for language and descriptions of violence/death further down the line, Triffids AU, and Suga waits off-screen trying to edit it all into one coherent narrative without offending anyone, but even my aroace arse can see where it's all going, honestly the relationships are still sorta subtext at this point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 10:33:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8976169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TottWriter/pseuds/TottWriter
Summary: Well, I suppose if I’m going to start anywhere, it might as well be the 29th [-Transcriber’s Note- T.N.: August]. We had training until around six in the evening, after which everyone went home. I…[Akaashi shakes his head, clenching his fists] I don’t remember what I said to everyone as we parted. It was probably the usual—something like I’d see them the next day. [He laughs bitterly.]Several months after the world more or less ends, Kenma is tasked with the job of recording everyone's accounts of what actually happened on That Fateful Day. It's not really a job he relishes, but he's damned if he's not going to do his best. Now, if only everyone else would actually co-operate...





	1. Interview 1, Part 1.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is sort of a companion piece to Dangers Unseen. If you're a real stickler for spoilers you might want to give it a miss for a little while yet, but on the whole, although it is technically set a few months after that story, there are only going to be vague hints as to what's been going on that whole time. Essentially, this is a collection of side-stories to the main plot, which will be referenced eventually, but which would otherwise get skipped over due to the way that story is structured.
> 
> I've always had a soft spot for stories told in parallel, and for (occasionally) unreliable narrators, and that's basically what this is.

_Account of the Events in Tokyo, by Akaashi Keiji. Transcribed by Kozume Kenma._  
_{Note:- Initial verbatim transcription. Considerable editing required before addition to official record ~Suga} _

 

I don’t know where to start, really. _[Akaashi leans forward, dropping his head into his hands.]_

…Wait. I hear a pen. Are you writing this down already? _{Note by Kenma ( ~~-NK?-~~ ~~-KN?-~~ ): Here I interrupted/paused the record-taking to explain my method for transcribing. I explained that as there is no electricity to spare for video or audio recordings, or to reliably play them back later on, a lot of the tone and mood might be lost from these records without the inclusion of notes regarding tone of voice/mannerisms.}_

 _[Akaashi sighs, and shakes his head.]_ I think you’re letting this job go to your head a little. Still, I suppose I can understand your point. Just make sure you read it back to me word for word before showing anyone else, okay? _{ ~~-Kenma’s-~~ Transcriber’s note: This agreement was perfectly acceptable, and with the preliminary arrangements completed, I asked that we resume the record.}_

Well, I suppose if I’m going to start anywhere, it might as well be the 29th _[ ~~-Transcriber’s Note-~~ T.N.: August]_. We had training until around six in the evening, after which everyone went home. I… _[Akaashi shakes his head, clenching his fists]_ I don’t remember what I said to everyone as we parted. It was probably the usual—something like I’d see them the next day. _[He laughs bitterly.]_

Oh, am I talking too fast? Let me know if you need to catch up. _{T.N.: At this point we paused to agree on how Akaashi would know to wait for me to catch up when I fell behind. Note: It would be worth a planning session before conducting many more of these interviews, so I don’t have as many interruptions partway through.}_

Okay, you ready again? Anyway. Bokuto-san walked with me longer than the rest of the team as we live… _[Akaashi sighs, and clears his throat]_ lived in the same street. He mentioned something about being tired enough to sleep for a week. It was a hot and humid evening—and frankly, he’d overdone it in training again and we had a practice match coming up—so I suggested that might be wise. I had planned to go to sleep relatively early myself, but I had chores to do before that, and by the time I was finished it was somewhere around…maybe eight? I wasn’t feeling tired enough to sleep any more, so I decided to watch some TV. _[Akaashi grits his teeth.]_ The best part? It wasn’t even anything worthwhile. I was just killing time.

It was around nine, maybe a little later, that I saw the first green flash. I thought it was someone screwing around outside to be honest, and I tried to ignore it. But it kept going, so I pulled back the curtains and took a good look out of my window.

 _[He sits back, his face wistful, and smiles slightly.]_ I have to say, it was one of the most incredible things I ever saw. I know you looked at the photos… Did you get to see a video of it? _{T.N.: I confirmed that I did.}_ Yeah? Well, I saw a couple online at the time, and even they really didn’t do it justice. The whole sky was lit up like…well, it wasn’t like anything else. That’s the point I’m making. The whole sky, littered with flashes and sparks. It was as though the stars had turned green and were falling to earth.

 _[He exhales sharply, half laughing.]_ I guess that’s probably a little too poetic. But it was amazing, I can’t deny it. I grabbed a few seconds of footage on my phone. Took some photos and linked them in the team chat. Of course, by that point, everyone else who was awake was more or less doing the same thing, so it was somewhat redundant I guess. _[Akaashi shrugs.]_ I went and stood outside my front door with my parents to watch after a while, but in all honesty it seemed like the only obvious thing to do at the time. There were people stood around everywhere. Drivers pulled over and got out of their cars to stare at it all. It was incredible.

 _[He shakes his head.]_ Admittedly, it was pretty unnerving too, but when I checked online I saw something about it being a meteor shower. There were a few articles about it popping up here and there, saying scientists reckoned it was comet debris. In all honesty, I didn’t read much more than the headlines. I watched for about an hour or so, and then went to bed, thinking I could finish looking at all the science behind it in the morning. The last thing I saw—

 _[Akaashi falters, covering his mouth with his hand before sliding his head down so that his hand covers his eyes instead. He takes a deep breath.]_ The last thing I ever saw was…it was my bedroom—flashing green from…from the  damn comet debris. _[His voice cracks as he speaks and he turns away. Shaking his head he stands up abruptly.]_

Look, I can’t do this right now…I—God... _[He tilts his head towards me.]_ Yeah you can stop now, okay? We’ll do it some other time. _[Pause.]_ Fuck, just STOP! Go get Bokuto-san. I’m out.

_{T.N.:I stopped the record at this point to fetch Bokuto. I’ll continue his account at a later date, when Akaashi feels up to it.}_

 


	2. Interview 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The interviews continue! Honestly, much as the main story is going to be pretty dark in places (and arguably that carries over here as well) it's a lot of fun planning these out. Continuity-wise, the interviews take place several months after Dangers Unseen, at which point things have stabilised. Which is good, because it gives me the freedom to make the overall tone a little lighter despite the subject matter. 
> 
> And honestly, Interviewer!Kenma is just too much fun to write/plan. He is _absolutely_ sat there hunched over his desk taking it very seriously, painstakingly writing everything out and not coping well at ALL with the emotional fallout. (There IS a reason he was picked for the job beyond the overall narrative aesthetic, but that's something I'll cover in the main story.)

_Account of the Events of the 29th August in Karasuno, by Yamaguchi Tadashi. Transcribed by Kozume Kenma._  
_{Note:- Initial verbatim transcription. Editing required before addition to official record ~Suga}_

 

 _[Yamaguchi sits with his hands clasped in front of him, hanging his head slightly.]_ I…er…I’m not really sure I have anything all that useful to say, really. I… Oh. Is that… You’re writing this down too? _{T.N.: I stopped to explain my method. Also Akaashi’s request to hear exactly what I’ve written first, before sharing the record with anyone else. Note: It might be better to do this before getting started next time.}_  
  
Well... Um. So, I start the day before? _[I confirm that I’d like Yamaguchi to start with the events of the 29th August.]_ Right. Well it was the first day of our training camp, so we’d all gathered at the gym. Getting ready for…well. It was for the Spring High Playoffs. You know how it is. Was, I mean. We were wiped out by the end of the day. It was hot, too. And a clear day. Is that important?  
  
_[Yamaguchi clears his throat]_ Sorry. I haven’t ever had to do anything like this before. I guess I’m just a bit nervous? Maybe that sounds silly. _[He shrugs, keeping his shoulders raised slightly.]_ Anyway, we kept going until about seven or so, and then stopped to eat. Everyone was exhausted. I think Hinata almost fell asleep eating again. Well, he’d probably had an earlier start than any of us, so maybe I can understand that. I didn’t really get it then, but he told me later that he’d actually woken up at about four that morning— _[He stops talking abruptly, and rubs the back of his head, smiling nervously and shifting in his seat.]_ Sorry, sorry! I guess I got a little distracted again…  
  
After that, we all went to bed. It was just another day, really. We were too tired to stay up late, so we showered quietly…oh, Hinata and Kageyama were racing again, but they always do that. I don’t know where Hinata got the energy…but then I guess he did go to sleep a lot faster than the rest of us, too. At our training camp, the team would all bunk down in the same room—well, you know the one. _[He sighs, sagging in his chair, before shrugging and shaking his head.]_  
  
And that should have been it, really. Everyone else was out cold. I even went to sleep, you know? But I… _[Yamaguchi tries to smile, but his lip wobbles too much for it to really count. He-] {T.N.: Mindful of my experience with Akaashi, I paused the record at this point to give Yamaguchi time to recover a little. We took a few minutes’ break, and I found some boxes of tissues to keep in this room for future interviews.}_  
  
_[Yamaguchi sits hunched in his chair, fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket.]_ After I went to bed? There’s really not much more after that, to be honest. You’d think I’d remember it better, wouldn’t you? _[He forces a laugh, but his eyes start to fill with tears. Shaking his head, he rubs his eyes with the back of his hand.]_ I…I was probably half asleep still, to be honest.  
  
_[Yamaguchi chews his bottom lip, his expression cautious.]_ Well, you see, I’ve never been great at sleeping in strange places. I just—I wake up now and then, or sometimes I have really vivid dreams, or start walking around in my sleep. So I guess… _[he sighs again]_ Well, I know I must have woken up, but it was a little bit like a dream, because everyone else was asleep and the room kept flashing green. I really don’t remember much more than that.  
  
I know I went to get a drink, because I remember being downstairs and seeing everything outside. It was bright, like there were street lights, only all green. And then… _[he shifts uncomfortably]_ I think I went to the bathroom? I’m sorry, I really don’t remember all that much about it. I wasn’t properly awake. _[He sighs.]_  
  
And then…then it was morning and I woke up like this. I…I thought the others were making fun of me at first. I’m always one of the last to wake up. When I… _[Yamaguchi closes his eyes tightly, hanging his head. He radiates tension and distress.]_ …I didn’t want to believe it was really happening. I tried—tried to tell myself that it was just a bad dream, or…or I’d open my eyes any minute and go back to normal. But I didn’t.  
  
_{T.N.: At this point we took another break for a few minutes while Yamaguchi composed himself. Note: Allow extra time for future interviews.}_  
  
_[I ask what his vision is like now, for posterity.]_ Well…I…I really can’t see, whatever people say. There’s no…no colour anywhere. But if the light is bright—if I’m almost staring at the sun I mean, or under a floodlight—sometimes I can sort of make out a vague shape? Corners and sharp angles are easiest. Tsukki says I’m better at seeing reflective objects, too. We’ve tested it quite a lot, because I normally go with him when he has watch duty.  
  
Mostly I can only see movement though. It’s…its hard to describe. While things are moving I can see where they are, like a…it’s like a less-dark blur. _[He waves his hands up and down in front of himself, half smiling. I assume this is because he can ‘see’ the shapes he is creating.]_ I suppose I might as well call it grey, although it’s different to when I could see. When the movement stops so does the blur. That’s how I manage though. When I’m inside, I can tell where other people are walking and avoid them. But it’s a lot harder outside, even now that I’m used to it. Especially on windy days. All the grass and the trees, it turns  everything into a blur.  
  
Normally, the faster things move, the…clearer they are? It gets a bit of a muddle when a lot of things move at once though. On windy days it’s just too much to sort out, but on calm days…I want to be able to help. I…I felt so useless at first. _[He droops.]_ Like I was a burden. And I don’t want to feel like that any more. _[He freezes, and raises his hands defensively, looking panicked.]_ N-not that the others  are or anything! I…that’s just how I feel about me, is all.  
  
_[He sighs]_ Sometimes I feel like I don’t fit. I can’t see, but I’m not completely blind either. I…I’m the only one like this. People either feel sorry for me or they think I’m lucky and shouldn’t complain. And I…understand. I know how much everyone who lost their sight completely wishes they even had as much as I did. _[Yamaguchi presses his fists into his lap, frowning.]_ But…but I did lose a lot too. I can’t…I can’t see faces, or colours. It’s always d-dark. And…and I think people forget, because I don’t always use a stick in the school grounds, but I really just know my way around by memory. I went to school here while I could still see. If we do move—and I know it’s not official, but I heard Daichi-san talking to Kuroo-san about it the other day, so I know we might…but if we go, I won’t know where things are any more.  
  
_[He shuffles down further into his seat, turning his head away.]_ …Sorry. I know that’s not really what this is about. I guess we’re finished now? I won’t tell anyone about the moving part, I promise.  
  
_{T.N.: I reassured Yamaguchi that there wasn’t a problem with anything that he had said, and that Sugawara-san would be reviewing the transcription anyway before it was copied into the official record. Yamaguchi expressed relief that he had finished the interview in one sitting. After thanking him for his time, I escorted him to the door, where Tsukishima was waiting for him while the interview took place.}  
_


	3. Interview 1, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, Suga has the patience of a saint for reading all of these and sorting them out.

_{This has been appended to Part 1 of Akaashi’s interview, and is therefore subject to the same request for extensive editing before its addition to the official record. ~Suga}_

 

  
_{T.N.: Continuation of Akaashi’s interview, to be added to part 1 after editing. I opened by recapping the point we had reached before — namely that he had gone to sleep while the meteor shower continued outside.}_

_[Akaashi sighs, running his hands through his hair.]_ I remember, you know. I’m well aware of where we…stopped. _[He sighs.]_ This, too? You know Suga-san will just edit it all out. What’s the point? Well, it’s your hand I suppose. It’s not as though there’s any other use for all those school supplies. Although if this takes too long I expect they’re going to ask you to wrap it up faster. There won’t be time in the spring.

_[There is a long pause. Akaashi frowns, leaning forward in his chair with his hands resting on his knees.]_

My phone woke me up. Apparently I’d been tired enough that I slept through the barrage of notifications from our chat groups, but my phone’s SMS alert is somewhat louder.

I… _[He pauses, gritting his teeth.]_ I didn’t understand, at first. I only halfway registered the sound as I woke, and then… _[He sighs.]_ It was just dark. I thought it had gone off in the middle of the night. Thought there had been a power cut. In all honesty, there was a period of several minutes where I was convinced it was a nightmare and I was still asleep.

_[Akaashi stops talking and exhales sharply, steepling his fingers in his lap.]_ To be honest, I’m reasonably sure that part’s the same for all of us. Those first few minutes— _[He turns away.]_

You know, I’d never actually had a panic attack before that. But when it sank in; when I realised— _[Akaashi stops sharply, squeezing his eyes shut and making a choking sound.]_

_{T.N.: At this point, Akaashi reached for the tissues and I paused the record for a couple of minutes to allow him to compose himself.}_

_[Akaashi sits with a tissue clenched in one hand, and his eyes closed.]_ I…I apologise. It’s been months—I hadn’t expected this to be so… difficult to talk about.

_[He takes a deep breath]_ So…yes. I—I didn’t cope especially well with losing my sight. In all honesty my memories of the first part of that morning aren’t very clear any more. I do recall my phone ringing: I couldn’t find it in my panic, and to be blunt, I doubt I would have been capable of answering it if I had. _[He twists his mouth and snorts.]_ Touchscreens were a marvel so long as you could actually see to interact with them. I’d never even considered how many things like that I just took for granted.

Still. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I don’t know how long it was before Bokuto-san broke into my house. You’ll have to check with him. He was the only one of the two of us in any position to tell the time. And I’m sure he’ll be delighted to recount that story again for the records. _[Akaashi rolls his eyes, the hint of a real smile appearing briefly.]_ At least you heard the true version before he added so many… embellishments. I swear it grows a more extravagant tale every time he tells it to everyone here, you know.

I’m glad, of course—that he broke in, I mean. Not so much his flair for the dramatic. He’s always been bad enough even without a captive audience to show off for. _[He shakes his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose, although there is a faint smile half-hidden by his hand.]_

Still. At the time I was…both confused and distressed. _[Akaashi’s cheeks turn pink, and he shifts in his seat.]_ And there was of course the fact that in breaking in, he disturbed my parents, who then realised that they were blind as well. The word ‘chaos’ rather understates things, if I’m honest. _[He rests his head in his hands, and lets out a short bark of laughter.]_

My father stumbled into my bedroom while Bokuto-san was attempting to assist me with the panic attack. _[He looks up, staring levelly in my approximate direction, one eyebrow raised.]_ Bokuto-san. The idiot was alternating between telling me to calm down and working himself into a similar state of distress. _[Akaashi shakes his head, sighing, and smiles somewhat sadly.]_ I was obviously unable to actually  see what happened, but I heard my father shout loudly for him to ‘get the hell away’ from me, and the fallout when he tried to hit him. Apparently he thought Bokuto-san was responsible for what was going on.

_[He reaches up with his right hand to rub his temple.]_ It took a while to settle things. I…actually think my father understood before I did. He grasped that Bokuto-san had come over because his  own parents had gone blind and he was worried, at least. No one understood at that point why Bokuto-san was the only one of us who could see.

_[Akaashi frowns, and hangs his head. He takes a long, slow breath. I ask if he wants to take another break.]_ What? No—I…I’m fine. _[He clears his throat, and rubs his eyes quickly before lowering his hand once more.]_ I’m not—not proud of how I reacted, that’s all. It’s… _[He clenches his fists, knuckles turning white.]_ No one wants to know what it will take to break them. Especially if you later find out just how much better others coped with the same situation.

_[He clears his throat.]_ Still. I suppose that’s not why we’re here.

Bokuto-san informed me of the messages I had missed. Obviously he didn’t read them all out loud, but the summary was enough for me to understand the seriousness of what had happened. I remember wondering if the whole of Tokyo had been affected in the same way…In all honestly, for a while I considered our situation hopeless. _[He lifts his head and raises an eyebrow.]_ The feeling passed, of course.

_[There is a long pause. Akaashi sits with his hands loosely clasped, forearms resting on his knees. His expression is thoughtful.]_

It was…at the time I believed it to be the most traumatic and disorienting morning of my life. _[I ask whether he still thinks that. Akaashi snorts.]_ Of course not.

_[Akaashi pauses again, sighing.]_ Well. Perhaps the most disorienting. It’s hard to judge in retrospect. That whole week… Losing your sight is—listen, that’s not what we’re here to record, is it.

_[Me: This really isn’t as formal as you’re making it out to be.]_

You asked me to talk about what happened in Tokyo. That was what we agreed. I’m not here to recount everything as though it’s some kind of pity tale—  ~~ ** _KENM_** —~~

_{T.N.: At this point Akaashi firmly instructed me to stop writing, and we had a long discussion about the aims and purpose of this record. Our expectations and goals were not entirely the same, so we agreed to postpone the remainder of the…interview(?) until we’ve had the opportunity to discuss the nature of our official history with Suga and the other third-years.}_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, this was just a little side project to start with, and now it's getting almost as big as the main story itself. You can't take Hopeless-Interviewer-Kenma from me, you just can't. (He really is trying so hard to get it right, bless him.) And, this chapter is also the whole reason I started writing these interviews. Kenma being narrator for all the Tokyo-based stuff in the main story just won't give me the opportunity to show what happened properly because obviously, by the time they link up with Bokuto and Akaashi, this bit will have already happened. (Although Kenma's narration will cover some of it in brief.)
> 
> As yet, I've only got Akaashi and Bokuto's stories planned, but as the main story progresses and I add more stragglers to the narrative, I'll go back and write up any backstories they refer to over here. The focus in Dangers Unseen really is with Karasuno, so I don't want to head-hop into perspectives other than theirs. Of course, if there's anyone who you desperately want to find out about (and potentially save, because I haven't fully settled on how many of them make it out of Tokyo), feel free to petition for them to get an interview.
> 
> And if you fancy chatting about this AU, give me a shout over on my [tumblr](http://tottwritesfanfic.tumblr.com/)!


	4. Interview 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is something of a monster compared with all the other chapters. I really don't plan on making them all this long (Akaashi's has been broken up into pieces for a _reason_ ), but there was no excuse I could find to do that this time, and anyway, the chapter more or less wrote itself if I'm honest. 
> 
> As a formatting note which I should probably have made earlier: This fic is laid out as though it were written by hand. For that reason, I have underlined words which would normally be written in italics for emphasis. I've dropped the asides into italics for legibility reasons, but it's probably safe to assume that Kenma didn't bother with such distinctions, and that this is another one of the problems which the long-suffering Suga has to put up with.

_Account of the Events in Tokyo, by Bokuto Koutarou. Transcribed by Kozume Kenma._  
_{Note:- Initial verbatim transcription. This is my usual note that there is substantial editing required before it can be considered an official record. ~Suga}_

  
_[Bokuto sits with the chair turned the wrong way, leaning over the back of it. He rests his chin on his hand, the elbow in turn propped on the chair, and appears perfectly relaxed, watching me.]_

You know, you’ve got a lot to say considering I haven’t even started yet. I mean, I know you said you’d make notes, but—

_{T.N.: I am skipping over the subsequent discussion in which I explained again about the importance of retaining as much information and context as possible during these interviews. Fortunately, this time Bokuto-san actually paid attention, so I am cautiously optimistic that I will be able to get through this without as many interruptions.}_

So where are we picking up? I mean, we’re just filling in the blanks for Akaashi, yeah? Because so far you’ve only talked about doing these with…well. You know. I know you’re doing this with the people who went blind. But I can still see just fine. And I mean, unless we get another bunch of those shooting stars that’s not gonna change for either of us, right?

_{T.N.: I am less optimistic already.}_

Okay. So, just…what. Where do I start on the 29th? Man, when was the 29th? It was all ages ago Kenma. _[He flings his arms in the air and tugs at his hair with evident impatience.]_ You mean the day before, right? Okay, okay. So, a wrap-up?

_[He frowns, concentrating ~~-at last-~~ ]_ Well, I mean, we had practice…and I mean, we really went all-out that day. It was pretty hot, but…well, prelims were coming up, you know? We were all serious about that. It was…everyone played their best that day. By the end of it all I was so tired I was ready to drop but I didn’t even really care. I was just happy at how well we were all doing. We were such a great team! I mean, we— _[He falters for a second, face turning sombre.]_ I was so sure we were gonna win our matches and get through to nationals. We were good, Kenma. You gotta admit that, right?

Right. Well. I said goodbye to the rest of the team, I guess. You know, the usual: ‘See you tomorrow, great practice guys’. I never thought—I mean… _[Bokuto sags in his chair, slumping forward so his head hangs down over the chair back. He is motionless for a minute, before raising a hand to rub at his face.]_ I guess back then it seemed impossible that that could be it, you know? I really thought I’d see them all again. _[There is another long silence.]_ …I really miss ‘em, you know. It’s—it’s not fair. I know I didn’t—

_{T.N.: I paused the record at this point while the conversation ~~-veered off-topic-~~ turned towards grief, which seemed…tactless to record.}_

Okay. Okay. So, uhh… _[He pauses, frowning thoughtfully]_ I guess I just went to bed early. I mean there wasn’t anything special about it. I can’t even remember what I had for dinner, you know? It was just a normal night, and then I got woken up by all this bleeping on my phone.

I mean, okay, I guess I must have slept through a lot of it. They were all pinging our group chat half the night because of the meteors. You know, I still have my phone somewhere. _[His expression brightens.]_ We could charge it up and—and…read… _[The smile fades again, and he slumps forward in his chair.]_ Okay maybe…maybe we should wait a little longer for that.

Well, anyway. It was Kuroo who woke me up. When his message came through—I have the sound set louder. _[He smiles faintly, shaking his head.]_ Well after I read it, I scrambled out of bed so hard I stubbed my toe on my bedside cabinet and had to hop all the way to my parents’ room. _[The smile falters]_

They were blind, though. I mean, obviously they were, because I only missed it all by going to bed super early, you know? Sometimes I still get this…man, I feel really sick when I think about what would have happened if I’d stayed up. I mean, there’d have been no one left to do something. What if I hadn’t been so tired? What if my mum actually had come in and got me up again—she said she almost did that, you know. I’d be toast. My parents would be toast, and my brother and sister. Akaashi would be toast.

But I guess…sometimes I wish it had been me. Instead, I mean. Not as well. Coz Akaashi…he would have been so much better at helping everyone than I was. Am. Maybe he could have…could have worked it all out faster and…I dunno. Maybe he would have saved them. Some of them, anyway. He’s really smart, Kenma. How come it all had to work out like this?

_{T.N.: Mindful of our earlier tangent, I reminded Bokuto that the purpose of these sessions is to record the events which transpired and not sit and wonder about what-ifs. —Note to self: I should probably set aside even more extra time for these interviews in future to account for how distracted everyone seems to get.}_

Okay, right. So, um. My parents were blind. I mean, are blind, but that’s where we were up to, right? _[He raises an eyebrow, nodding when I confirm this.]_

Well I gotta say…it was scary, you know? They were freaking out because they couldn’t see, and then the noise woke my brother, and it was all pretty much a mess. But I got them calmed down a bit and explained—sort of. I told them all about what Kuroo had said at least. How the same thing was happening to a load of other people, but we didn’t know why, or how bad it was. So then of course both my parents started freaking out and wanted to know what had happened to Kamiko _[Bokuto’s elder sister]_ , and if she was alright, except I already told them the phones weren’t really working.

But my mum, she’s really stubborn, yeah? You’ve met her—you know. So she tells me to _[Bokuto raises his hands and alters the pitch of his voice to apparently mimic his mother]_ “Get the damn phone and  try, Koutarou.”

Which I did. I mean, I would have tried it anyway, you know, but maybe I’d have sent a text or something? I mean, I’d already read the message from Kuroo saying the phone networks were all busy. So I rang my sister, and well, obviously she didn’t pick up. But it rang? I swear, Kenma. I know you said the phones never worked properly for you, but I’m not making this bit up, okay? And I mean, she’ll back me up on it because she heard it ringing just like Akaashi did.

_{T.N.: I reassured Bokuto that the accuracy of this part of his story was not in doubt. There was a further distraction while we discussed the likely reason for the phones working when Bokuto made his calls, which I have not documented as it wasn’t especially relevant to the subject matter, and there’s no way of proving anything about it at this point.}_

Okay, right, right. _[Bokuto sits straighter on his chair, pressing on the back of it with both hands to lift himself upright.]_ So I called my sister but she didn’t answer. Well, I mean, Kuroo had said how it was all busy and not working, and I’ve never rung someone when it was like that before, so I figured…maybe that was what happened? It just rang? I sent her a bunch of messages asking her to call us, or message back, or drive over if she could because honestly, it would have been a really big help if she’d had her car.

Except then none of us knew if she wasn’t answering because the calls and messages hadn’t gone through, or if it was because she couldn’t reply, you know? She’s not exactly an early riser so we thought maybe there was a chance she’d slept through the phone. Which is why I called Akaashi, really. I mean, he lived just down the street back then, so I knew I could go check if he didn’t answer. It made sense, right? _[Bokuto stares at me earnestly, and doesn’t relax until I nod my agreement]_

Right. So, I called Akaashi but he didn’t answer. It still rang though, and then it went to his voicemail, because he actually set that up? I don’t know anyone else who ever bothered doing that. My sister sure didn’t. But it made me worry a bit, coz it didn’t make sense for the line to be busy if it rang off, right? So I called again, and the same thing happened, and he didn’t answer when I sent him a bunch of messages, either. And obviously my parents didn’t want me to go, because I was the only one who could see anything, but how else was I gonna know? Plus, it was Akaashi. I was worried.

_[Bokuto clears his throat, tensing in his seat and looking slightly nervous.]_ I mean, I was worried about everyone else as well of course. But they all lived further away, or I didn’t even know their addresses, and anyway, Akaashi  always answered his phone when I rang, even when it was two in the morning and he was asleep, and really grumpy about being woken up to help me with a bunch of maths homework. That only happened the one time though Kenma, and don’t tell anyone, okay? Wait. You wrote that down. You’re gonna check it all over before anyone else sees it, right? So you can cut that bit out?

_{T.N.: I confirmed that myself and Suga-san would be editing the reports before putting them all together. I’ve kept this in mostly for posterity ~~-and also because Bokuto is annoying me-~~ }_

Well anyway. Akaashi. Or, his house. Or did you want me to talk about the walk there or something—okay, okay, I’ll skip to when I got there. Right, well the door was locked, yeah? And I mean, I rang the bell a few times but no one answered. And it was…not that early? I didn’t think so, anyway, although I guess I’d had a pretty early night. Well, I still needed to work out what was going on, and I was getting worried because I mean, I knew a bunch of people had gone blind in the night, and now I’m at the door and no one’s answering but I can see all their shoes lined up in the genkan through the window. So I climbed over the fence. I figured maybe there’d be a window open somewhere, and I could just…call in?

_[He sighs melodramatically.]_ Well of  course they kept everything all locked up. I mean, they were even indoors? My family just used to leave the back door unlocked, because no one ever went there except us, and I mean, I maybe lost my keys a couple of times and got locked out. That wasn’t my fault by the way. It was—right. Yes. Breaking in.

So I’m stood in the garden, and I can see Akaashi’s window, and there’s no movement? I mean, I’m not gonna lie, I made a bit of a racket getting over the fence. It’s practically two metres high, and I had to jump down. I figured I must have woken them up, but…no. And it was all just so wrong, you know? I’ve been over there a bunch of times. Like, I’ve stayed the night before, and his mum was always up first, doing…breakfast and stuff. But no one was there in the kitchen.

_[He shrugs, looking somewhat embarassed.]_ So, I know it’s cheesy and—oh don’t look at me like that Kenma, I’d like to see you do anything different—I…uh, threw a stone at his window. _[He flings his hands in the air.]_ I figured he’d get mad and open it and I could explain! Except there wasn’t any answer to that either, and I was pretty sure at that point that I needed to get inside and…I dunno, I was sorta panicking a bit? I didn’t really think all that much. I just looked around for a way to get in, even though their house is like a safe or something.

But they had a cat! And… _[his face falls]_ Man, I really loved her. You think she’s still there? Like, maybe she…right.

_[Bokuto clears his throat loudly, and frowns]_ Well, the point is, the back door had a cat flap. And I’m stood there in the garden looking for a way in, and…I could reach right through the flap. Except the door bit of the cat flap got in the way, so I had to break it off, because they’d set it so it only opened  outwards. I mean who does that? Who’s gonna try and…okay, so I know I broke in, but it was an emergency! I figured no one would mind. So, after that I reached through the cat flap to pull out the key, except…well…my arm was too short to reach. Like, I could just brush the edge of it, but not enough to actually grab it.

So I went back into the garden, and they had this vegetable patch, right? So I knew just what to…I’m not exaggerating, Kenma!

…Okay, so maybe it took me a couple of minutes to work this one out, but I grabbed some of the string stuff they had tying the plants to the sticks, and used that to loop around the key and pull it out of the lock. Like, that moment? I felt like a freaking hero.

I didn’t waste time celebrating though. It was a pretty serious situation. I mean, my hands were shaking as I unlocked the door. Mine. _[He takes a breath to speak and pauses, his eyebrows descending slowly.]_

Akaashi already told you about…um…what happened, yeah? I mean, I don’t wanna talk about it if he didn’t—he did? So he told you—right, right of course. I mean, I’m not…I just figured maybe he wouldn’t want me to talk about that stuff, you know? He doesn’t really like mentioning it. But if it’s okay… _[He sighs]_ Well, I went up to his room, right? And he was just…he was just lying on his bed, all curled up and shaking.

I didn’t want to just barge in, you know? Especially seeing as his parents weren’t awake yet, and I’d already broken into their house. So I called his name from his door, but he didn’t answer, and then I realised I could hear him breathing, because it was just these weird gasps and stuff, and… Look I hadn’t actually seen anything like that before, but I’m not stupid, right? I could see he was having a panic attack.

_[Bokuto sits straight in the chair again, folding his arms.]_ But it’s really freaky, okay? I mean—not panic attacks. I’m not trying to say…I know it’s a thing that happens, so don’t look at me like that. But this was  Akaashi. He’s always so calm, and he just gets on with stuff, so I mean, I walk in and he’s just…like that, and I didn’t really know what you’re meant to do if someone has a panic attack back then but I couldn’t just do nothing.

I mean he’s my friend, right? So I was trying to calm him down but it was like he couldn’t even hear me. And I was getting pretty worried because the day was already freaky and scary enough, and then his dad appears. Like, he told me he woke up probably when I broke the cat flap, and was trying to work out why he couldn’t see and getting worried, and then he heard me call Akaashi’s name and thought…I dunno, he said he didn’t recognise my voice because it sounded all weird.

I dunno. Anyway, he pretty much tripped over as he walked through the door, and he was shouting at me _[Bokuto draws himself up and puts his hands on his hips]_ all: “Get the hell away from my son!” _[This was spoken in a gruff, lowered voice. Bokuto has gotten very caught up in his storytelling, because no one in the Akaashi family has a voice like this.]_

And then he picked himself up and kinda flew at me? I mean, it was a pretty bad idea because he almost hit Akaashi instead, but I was also sorta impressed. He woke up blind just the same as my family did, but he just wanted to protect his son, you know? I got that.

But I more or less had to knock him over before I could get him to understand I was trying to help as well. I felt really bad for attacking a blind man, but what else could I do? So then I’m stood there in the room between them both, and I’m just calling out “Akaashi, you gotta breathe!” and part of me’s worried his dad’s gonna think I’m talking to him and being disrespectful or something, so I’m also trying to tell him what’s going on…

We got it sorted out in the end though. And Akaashi calmed down, and—Kenma, he apologised. He apologised for having a panic attack. Like, to me. For making me worry or something? I don’t know. I think it must have been the stress or something. It was a pretty shitty morning all round. But seriously, no one needs to apologise for that stuff. It just happens, you know? Like landing badly and getting hurt. I told him that, actually. Wow. It’s weird the stuff you remember.

I mean, I can’t remember exactly how I explained all the stuff about everyone going blind except me—and you and Kuroo of course—but I really clearly remember Akaashi saying he was sorry for making me worry, like he’s a bother or something. And then he told me to call my family if the phones were still working so they wouldn’t worry—oh yeah, I made sure our home phone was where they could reach it before I left—like nothing had happened.

I think maybe explaining that this was some big thing helped? I mean, at that point we all thought someone had to come along and fix it in the end. Because…how does almost the whole of Tokyo just go blind overnight? No way we believed it would be permanent back then. So I said they should all come to my house, because I mean, all three of them were blind and it just…well I couldn’t exactly leave them there and go home by myself, right? _[As he speaks, Bokuto leans forward over the back of the chair, gesturing to emphasise his words.]_

And then Akaashi points out that my house is all the way down the other end of the street and none of his family can see. Like, even I can tell that’s a big problem, yeah? They weren’t even dressed yet, and honestly, that was not something I really wanted to have to deal with. But there I was, and there they were, and…you know, I’d kind of forgotten just how weird all that was. Right Kenma? I mean, it all got caught up with the bad stuff that came after, but that morning was honestly a lot more strange than it was scary. Maybe— _{T.N.: At this point I interrupted to request that Bokuto at least attempt to stay on topic, seeing as his account already far exceeds everyone else’s in length and has hardly covered any of the events which happened.}_

Oh, okay. Sorry. I don’t mean to get so carried away. I guess it just…it actually really helps to talk about this stuff?

But anyway. So eventually we’re ready at the door, and Akaashi was looking really nervous. I mean, he’d made it around the house more or less okay, but walking down the road when you can’t see anything is pretty different, right? _[He tips his head to one side, looking at me expectantly until I nod in agreement.]_ I mean, indoors they could all sort of shuffle along the walls, but outside it was all open. We only got to the road before Akaashi told me to just take his parents first and come back for him afterwards, which I did, because…well I mean it was obvious that someone was gonna trip otherwise. _[Bokuto sighs, and shakes his head.]_

It’s not all that far a walk honestly, but it took much longer because they just both walked really slowly. I took them out in the middle of the road in the end and that was better because they knew there wasn’t anything to trip over, but even so, I was pretty glad when we reached my house and I could explain to my parents what was going on.

I made them all some tea to help them calm down, but I was getting pretty fidgety because Akaashi was still all on his own back there, you know? That’s when I messaged Kuroo saying I was gonna need some help, actually. After I poured out the hot water I more or less ran back, and he was just sat inside the doorway, holding onto the wall.

He… _[Bokuto stops talking, and his face twists a little with concern.]_ I dunno if I’m meant to talk about this bit. It doesn’t seem right, you know? You promise no one’s gonna see this except you and Suga, right? And you won’t tell anyone? _[I nod.]_

Right. Okay. _[Bokuto looks oddly conflicted and distressed.]_ Well the thing is, when I got back, Akaashi was…crying. Not out loud or anything, just…his face was all red and there were a bunch of tears and stuff, and honestly he looked even worse than he had after that panic attack. And I was—I didn’t know what to do! _[Bokuto waves his hands wildly, emphasising his words.]_ I mean, I’m no good at that stuff. It’s Akaashi who always knows what to say. So I just sorta…I mean, he couldn’t see me right? And I didn’t want him to feel like I’d been sneaking around or anything, so I sorta cleared my throat, and then he said it was fine since he heard me walking up.

Obviously I asked him what the matter was—I mean, I didn’t know if something had happened while I was away, right? And he just shook his head, and started pulling at his hair, and said something about how…urgh, let me think. _[He stops speaking and pulls a series of facial contortions.]_ I don’t remember exactly, but it was just…he was freaking out because he couldn’t see, and how was he meant to do anything if he was blind? And I felt awful coz we’d had to leave him there on his own and  that’s what he’d been thinking while I was making our families tea?

So I told him that I’d just have to be his eyes then, you know? Like, he’s my friend: it’s not like I was gonna just abandon him or something. And what does he say? He stares right through me—yeah, I know he’s blind but you know what I mean—and says: _[He adopts a sombre expression and mimics Akaashi’s voice rather poorly.]_ “Bokuto-san, that is the single most terrifying statement I have heard in my life so far.” Can you  believe it! _{T.N.: Yes. I could.}_

But it was just so… _[Bokuto sags, dropping his head into his hands.]_ Kenmaaaa, I started laughing. I felt so awful for doing that. But he just looked so serious, and it was like…like in the middle of everything, that’s how he always acts. And I didn’t know what else to do, really. It didn’t really seem like, hey, everyone’s blind and they’re never gonna see again. It was just…part of me thought it had to all be some really stupid practical joke.

_[He rests an elbow on the back of the chair and frowns thoughtfully.]_ Akaashi laughed as well though, so it was alright I guess. And I mean, obviously it’s not something he just got over straight away or anything, but…I think it helped? He didn’t—he hasn’t had any more of those panic attacks at least.

Oh. I’m getting distracted again though, right? Um. So we sorta sat there for a bit, and then he sits up all in a panic because we didn’t go back, and everyone’s waiting for us? So, er. I already knew it was gonna take him ages to walk that, because…I mean, I tried it, you know? I figured I should know a bit what it’s like, so I tried walking along with my eyes shut for a bit, and it’s really hard. You just don’t want to move fast at all because what if you bump into something.

_[He shifts awkwardly in his seat.]_ Well the point is, basically I carried him back to my house. But you can’t tell anyone about that, okay? I mean, I think he’d kill me. _[Bokuto regards me with a deadly serious expression.]_ No talking about that. Not even to Kuroo.

_{T.N.: At this point I intervened and said that we would have to continue another time, as we were losing the natural light outside and I was struggling to see the page well enough to write on. Bokuto offered to fetch a torch for me, but my hand is beginning to cramp so I suggested we continue the account another day. Akaashi might be able to fill in most of the gaps from here, whenever he is willing to talk to me again. I reassured Bokuto again of the fact that no one will read this except myself and Suga-san, and thanked him for his time._

_—Note to Suga-san: Please conduct the next interview with Bokuto if it becomes necessary. Once was enough.}_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I re-read the appropriate arcs of the manga, so I apologise if Bokuto's speech patterns are less than perfect. It's really hard to guess how some characters would speak outside a volleyball context, but I try to get their characterisation as close as possible. Please feel free to suggest any improvements which could be made, because I am always open to going back and fixing mistakes in earlier chapters.
> 
> Also, Bokuto breaking into Akaashi's house? I based that off the time I got locked out as a teenager before I was allowed a key. Somewhat modified, though. (I didn't break any cat flaps, and it was a somewhat more convoluted process involving a stick which I hooked the key on, and my sister shouting directions from the kitchen window "left a bit, up.." etc.)
> 
> As for the chapter itself...honestly I had a lot of fun with this, and with the developing interplay between Kenma's word for word recordings, and what is more or less his commentary in the margins. (I would have added a lot more because Bokuto is a very gesture-heavy character, but dear god this chapter was long enough already. Let's just say Kenma was developing a cramp in his hand and gave up with a lot of that.) I had a lot of this side of the story planned out when I wrote Akaashi's perspective on it, too. I'm looking forward to adding more characters to the interview lineup so that the differences between their respective accounts become more apparent. Unreliable narrators are the _best_.
> 
> ...Also I'm really sorry about the cat. For the most part I've tried to keep the tone of this fic upbeat(ish), but there are definitely a lot of heavier undertones.


End file.
